Must read 🏆
A must read book about race, culture and travel in a bustling Caribbean destination, that will make you want to keep reading this genre if you, like me, had given up on it.
Synopsis
A thoughtful, funny, and provocative, story that weaves character, place, and history into a rich lyrical tapestry, of an evolving world—one with a complicated past that begs exploration of People, Culture, and History.
We start our visit to Barbados with the tale of Ace, the first rogue in the story, and then go on to visit multiple characters and places in this memoir cum travelogue. Each character has their charm and personality, and the author’s prose makes one want to know them more. An extremely whimsical style of writing coupled with the author’s evident love for the island and its people makes for a rather charming, almost old-fashioned portrayal of this Caribbean island and its inhabitants.
I’ve read several boring slice-of-life vignettes and travelogues, but this piece of writing was anything but. The voice is unique, and I get a hint of Roald Dahl’s writing in Boy and the first few chapters of Going Solo in the rhetorical flourishes applied to the characters. A bit of Ruskin Bond’s flow shines through in the poems and rhythms applied left, right, and center, yet everything feels fresh and original. Each character jumps off the page, their images as vivid as the pictures painted by Woolly Hewitt or Darla Trotman. Even the descriptions of places seem to have their own metre, the writing swaying in your head as it gently colours in an increasingly clear outline. The author complements these descriptions with some poetry here and there. I amused myself for a bit by reading the poems out loud, as I believe many others reading this book might do as well.
In the end, though, one puts this book down with a smile and a gasp upon realising that what one thought was five minutes was closer to an hour and a half. Reading this book is no effort; it is best described as a joy. It is uplifting, fun to read, and extremely engrossing. It is a must-read for sure!
Reviewed by
Savyasachee Jha
Following
Hello! I’m a PhD student working on health systems, but in my spare time, I am a voracious reader of history, philosophy, science, and most importantly, science-fiction and fantasy. I’ve maintained a Goodreads account since around 2015 or so and I try to review every book I get my hands on!
Source https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/rogues-in-paradise-ian-r-clayton-21530aa7-385c-493c-8cf1-e318a910f046#review
Video Race Class and Culture
Comparing Colonial Slavery Systems in The Caribbean: An in-depth look at how the British, Dutch, French, and Spanish practiced slavery in the Caribbean. Learn more: https://roguesinparadise.com/caribbean-colonial-slavery-systems-compared/”
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